What happens to stray dogs?

The council fee to claim your dog is £51.00, there will also be a daily charge for each day the dog remains in the kennels.

After seven days, the dog becomes the property of the kennels and can be rehomed or destroyed. If rehomed, the dog then become the property of the new owner.

This is different in the case of a dog being stolen as this would always revert to the original owner, even if the dog had had several different “owners” in the ensuing period (they could technically be accused of handling stolen goods.) The authenticity of the claim that the dog had originally been stolen would have to be verified by contacting the local police and asking them to clarify any incident or crime number given by the original owner.